When dredging the ocean floor, the excavated material on the bucket wheels is suctioned off by tubes and conducted to the ship. Swivel joints between the tubes and their connection on the ship prevent the tubes from twisting and thus becoming blocked or damaged.

This application was a challenge in that abrasive media (dredged material with gravel, mud and stones) are transported through the tubes. In addition, the joint must withstand tremendous forces and be resistant to seawater. Our customer uses our EZM FLAT swivel joints with two ball races made of seawater-resistant, corrosion-resistant 1.4462 stainless steel in DN250 for this purpose.